basketball

Tomoya Ochiai

TOMOYA OCHIAI

On Thursday, December 12th, Tomoya Ochiai, a Tokyo-raised athlete who placed 19th in the 3x3 basketball competition at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, gave a wide range of instruction to about 6 students at Koto Ward's Daisan Sunamachi Junior High School, from the basics of basketball to 30-on-3 practice. At the beginning, Ochiai told the students, "We professional athletes also practice the basics every day. Solidifying the basics will lead to growth." He then started with basic dribbling practice. The students improved their handling by practicing dribbling with two balls with both hands, alternating between touching the ball, or touching the ball high with the right hand and low with the left hand. The students cheered as Ochiai demonstrated how to dribble. In shooting practice, the students caught the ball passed to them without slowing down their running speed and shot the ball from the dribble. Ochiai advised the students who were struggling to catch the ball at top speed, "It's important to pass the ball to a place where your teammate can easily catch it," and also instructed them, "Always speak out loud and communicate a lot in your daily practice." The students practiced in a fun atmosphere, calling each other's names and clapping and calling out when a shot was made. Finally, a 3-on-2 practice was held. Ochiai also participated and played against the students. The students were surprised at the size of Ochiai when they saw him up close, and the teachers seemed impressed by his spectacular play. At the end, Ochiai passed the ball to the students who called out "Ochiai-san!", and the practice ended with a wonderful combination play in which Ochiai scored a shot under the goal. Even after the practice was over, Ochiai and the students chatted happily, and it was a very meaningful time. Thank you, Ochiai!